Always Expect the Unexpected
by Kasper ze Chemist
Summary: Booth's old army buddy enlists Booth's help on a project. However in the course of work, Booth stumbles upon remains that launches an investigation that may result in injury or possibly even death to someone. BB hints, perhaps more...
1. Meet Michael Paterson

**Here I am again. So I promise to put this one forward til the end. None of the slacking off. Plus school is over soon so I'll be able to write more. I would love to hear what you think of the story so please review. Thanks for clicking!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Plus I've never been to Montana, nor fired a gun, nor designed a gunm nor held a gun. So don't hold me responsible for mistakes with those things unless they are super blantant obvious.**

Chapter 1

Instead of leaving for lunch, Booth brought the lunch to her knowing full well that she wouldn't leave when she was busy. He had guessed right, she didn't leave, but gratefully accepted the food he had proffered. She in return offered him a seat on the couch while he ate, which is where he remained doing a crossword puzzles.

"Bones, what's a five letter word for functional group, that begins in 'a'?" asked Booth with a mouthful of rice.

"Try amine," she replied without removing her eyes from the computer screen. He tried it and let out an 'oh' when it was right.

"Good call Bones."

"So this is where my tax dollars go, feeding and purchasing newspapers. Lovely." The words came from a man standing in the doorway behind Steve the security guard. The unknown man was older, early forties, tall, and lanky with his right arm in a sling. His brown hair was spiked up and it gave him the air of being a child, yet, well, older and with a slight British accent.

"This man claims to know an Agent Booth," stated Steve. Booth was now standing and moving toward the man.

"Yeah I know him all right," said Booth before ringing the man's hand. Steve the security guard shrugged and left satisfied that the man was known. "Mike Paterson, it's been way too long!"

"Yeah Seel, well you are hard to track down I'll tell you that. Took a few contacts but I found you after all these years. How you been?"

Before Booth could reply he heard Brennan clear her throat indicating that she would like to be introduced. "Sorry Bones. Michael Paterson, meet Dr. Temperance Brennan my partner." They shook hands and Mike shot her a smile, his own version of the charm smile. "He was my spotter and mentor when I was in the Rangers. After I left he stayed a few more years before leaving. Since then I haven't heard much."

"Well after I left I opened up my company in the middle of nowhere Montana where I have been working with a couple of my buddies on coming up with some new equipment for the troops. In fact, I just came back from Fort Bragg where I was talking about getting some Special Forces guys to come out and try the stuff. Naturally they can't spare a man so I have come to borrow your services for a few days to check some of my new stuff in the field."

Booth just stared as he mulled it over in his mind. "Well I mean I'm not working any cases and Cullen has been trying to get me to take some time off. I'll have to ask first, but if I can get the days off on a short notice, of course I'll go."

"Great," said a cheery Paterson. "Oh, your lady friend is welcome to come too. The more the merrier."

"I'm his partner," she replied. "And thank you for the offer but I have work to do." Mike just shrugged, well halfway considering his bad arm.

"Suit yourself. All expenses paid, by me of course. But whatever. Come on Seel, let's get going. Jen will be wonderin' where I've gone. I was supposed to be home today." Mike turned to head out and Booth looked over to Brennan.

"Uh so I guess I'll see you in a week?"

"Bye Booth. Have fun," she added with a smile. Booth returned with a charm smile and a wave.

"Well your boss seemed more than happy to let you have time off. Been working like a dog?" They were now in Booth's home, Mike reclining on the couch while Booth ran around and packed, making necessary preparations.

"Well yeah kinda. I mean, it's been a while since I've had time off to relax and well you know…" he trailed off as he entered his bedroom.

"Right." He drained the last from the can of Coke and aimed for the recycling bin and actually making it. "Score."

"So what happened to your arm?" Booth asked as he threw his duffel bag against the front door.

"This thing. Well we were out in the mountains because it makes for interesting shots and I lost my balance and rolled down. It was shallow thankfully, but I ended up hitting a tree and broke my arm in three places. It's almost healed but Jen complains because she thinks it will 'leave permanent damage.'"

"Well maybe to your ego," laughed Booth. "So how we going?"

"Driving silly. Nothing but the open road." He laughed upon seeing Booth's smile instantly change into a frown. "Kidding mate. Our plane leaves in a few hours." Booth clapped hard on Mike's injured shoulder causes him to inhale sharply.

Booth opened the door and walked out, but not before throwing over his shoulder, "thought it didn't hurt!"


	2. Arrival

Chapter 2

The past four hours were the longest hours of his life. Soon it would be over, at least that's what Paterson had kept telling him. Boot pinched his eyes shut as the baby behind him bawled yet again. He was most certainly contemplating killing Paterson.

"Here mate, have this," said Paterson placing a warm coffee in front of Booth's face. "Sorry about this."

Booth threw his hands up in frustration. "How do you not know that there's been a huge storm dumping feet of snow on your hometown? Hell a storm like that heading to the east is going to be all over the news!"

"Booth, calm down. You're just cranky."

"Attention passengers. Flight 501 to Helena is now boarding at Gate 7C." Booth was one his feet in a flash and navigating his way to the gate. Paterson was in tow, smiling at the frustration of his friend.

"Paterson let's go," announced Booth as nudged Paterson in the ribs. The man simply nudged into Booth's shoulder harder. Booth rolled his eyes and shouted, "Michael!"

Paterson jolted awake. "Huh? What? No change for a twenty?" Booth chuckled lightly and Paterson wiped the sleep from his face. Booth rolled his now liberated shoulder.

"Man, you drooled on me!"

"Sorry."

"Whatever. We've landed though." Paterson nodded and they grabbed their items form the overhead storage area and left the plane.

It was late afternoon by the time they had headed for Paterson's home. Paterson drove, one-handed, while Booth sat in the passenger seat beside him.

"So the drive to my place is about an hour. We'll spend the night at my place and head to the complex tomorrow morning and go from there." Booth nodded in understanding.

Within no time Booth was snoring softly as Paterson stared at the boring white terrain in front of him. Over time he noticed that Booth was muttering something under his breath. It took a few tries but he finally caught the word: Temperance. With a mischievous smile he turned up the radio to max volume and picked a rock station. The sound immediately jerked Booth awake.

"What the hell was that for?" queried a very cranky Booth.

"Sorry, but I was getting very bored. Besides you were running your hand up and down my leg murmuring the name 'Temperance.'"

Booth immediately turned pale and gulped. "Re…Really?"

"No, I'm yanking your chain. Well you were saying the name Temperance over and over. So spill it, who is she?" Boot looked somewhat relieved and then Paterson made realization. "She's that one you call Bones right? Your partner?"

Booth was saved from replying as the Paterson house appeared. It was white, two floors and absolutely beautiful. The house stood in the middle of nowhere surrounded by pine trees. Booth could see a playground in the back. "Ah we are here. Welcome to the Paterson household."

"Sounds like the title of some crappy horror movie," muttered Booth as he exited the car. He helped Paterson unload the bags and just as they were at the front door of the house the front door opened and a little ball of energy jumped out and landed in Paterson's arms.

"Daddy you's home!" shouted the little boy. He was wearing a Colorado Avalanche jersey and hockey gloves. His hair was a mass of brown curls, which reminded Booth of his own son.

"Hey sport. Andy, meet a good friend of mine, Seeley Booth. He works for the FBI."

"Cool!" He jumped from his father's arms to shake Booth's hand.

"You like hockey?" questioned Booth as he entered the home.

"Yep. Daddy and I used to play everyday until he got hurt. Now I just play by myself."

"Tell you what. If it's okay with your dad maybe we can go out and play in a little bit." Andy looked up to his father expectantly; Paterson just smiled and nodded.

"Clean your room first." Andy nodded, quickly removed the hockey gloves and ran up the stairs. Booth got to look over the interior home for the first time. It was enormous and cozy with at least five bedrooms by Booth's estimate. It was beautifully decorated and added a comfortable feeling. The crackling fireplace added a warm gentle heat that Booth enjoyed.

"I thought you had twins?" voiced Booth to Paterson.

"He's somewhere." There was a sound of clattering pots from the kitchen. "Honey is that you?" A woman entered the living room holding a young boy in her arms, a bloody towel held under his nose. He looked exactly like his brother, but his hair was short and spiky. He too was wearing a hockey jersey, but one from the New York Rangers. "What happened?" asked Paterson, worry evident in his voice.

"He was playing goalie again. Six year olds do not need to be playing goalie," she scolded.

"He's got a helmet!"

"Well he thinks he's Superman and that he's immune to things." She checked his nose and found that it finished bleeding. She wiped it one last time and sent him off to play upstairs. Afterwards she turned to Booth. "I'm sorry about that, but they are going through this whole play hockey phase and Andrew doesn't like that James is a Rangers fan and they get all…sorry for rambling, my name is Jennifer."

Booth chuckled and shook her hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Well Mike, why don't you show him to his room and wash up. Dinner will be ready soon."

"Yes ma'am," replied Paterson with a salute. Jennifer rolled her eyes and returned to the kitchen. "Anyway Seeley you'll downstairs over here." He led Booth down a hallway and into a room. The room was larger than his living room at home. The large bed looked extremely comfortable and Booth couldn't wait to stretch out. "The bathroom is through that door." He pointed to the back of the room. "Feel free to watch the telly too."

"You really went all out didn't you when you got this place didn't you," said Booth as he threw his bags on the ground.

"Yeah well nothing but the best for my family."

"DINNER!" All four boys in the home ran to the dining room where the food was ready. A beautifully prepared chicken dinner complete with rice and vegetables was served before them.

"That was the best dinner ever," claimed Booth as he leaned back in his chair. "Well you could at least give my mother and grandmother a run for their money."

"Why thank you Seeley." Both young boys had cleaned their plates and looked at their mother.

"Mommy, can we go play hockey with Seeley now?" they asked in unison.

"Go ahead, but dress warm and James, you better wear your helmet if you are playing goal!"

The sun was down already in Montana and the temperature was around twenty five, but that did not seem to affect the Paterson men, or Booth. Mike had built a lighting system for the kids so they could play night games when the pond froze and that's where they started to go. The older man carrying the equipment hovered back while the two energetic boys bounced their way to the pond.

"So why does James like the Rangers of all teams?" questioned Booth.

"I wondered the same thing, but apparently he loves being a goalie and the Rangers' goalie Lundqvist. He asked for the jersey and some equipment and he's been playing with his brother since." They arrived at the pond and laced up. Booth and Paterson were the same size and there was a pair of skates for Booth.

They played straight through for nearly two hours, leaving all four of the boys extremely exhausted. Booth found that he didn't lose much of the skill he had from playing during high school and that James was a young aspiring goaltender. They skated until their bones ached and then began the trek back home. Booth retired to his bedroom after bidding everyone adieu and took a relaxing hot shower. He was lying on the bed watching Sportscenter when "Iris" by The Goo Goo Dolls. He had that ringtone dedicated to only one person simply because he felt it reminded him of her.

"You miss me already," he stated as he put the phone to his ear.

"Quiet Booth. I just wanted to tell you that Rebecca came around here looking for you."

"Oh, why? She has my cell number. Oh I had it off on the plane. What did she want?"

"She wanted you to look after Parker for the afternoon because she had to do whatever. I told her that you were on a case and she muttered something about irresponsible before leaving."

Booth swore aloud, angry that he missed an opportunity to be with his son. "Thanks for letting me know Bones."

"Of course." There was one of those awkward silences before Brennan spoke. "So how is your trip going?"

Booth relayed the day's events to her. She would laugh or simply acknowledge that she was still listening every so often. She then told him of her day with events such as Cam sending a memo banning public displays of affection from the workplace, which led to Hodgins being grumpy all day. They were talking for over half an hour until Booth's phone's battery started to die.

"Sorry Bones, but my phone is dying. I'll call you tomorrow if I get the chance or something like that, okay?"

"Okay Booth. Good night." And then Booth's phone died. He got out of bed to search for the charger and after plugging it in he climbed into bed thinking about the beautiful wilderness ahead, free of murder and skeletons.


	3. Introductions

**This chapter is mostly filler, but I do promise that Brennan will get out there soon. **

Chapter 3

It was the best sleep he got in a long time, but it was disturbed by the sound of little feet hitting the ground. He rolled over and looked at the time on his phone, seven thirty. He figured he could sleep a little longer, but then there was a knock on his door. A robe clad Paterson stuck his head in.

"Seel join us for some breakfast." Booth groaned in reply and then got up. He threw on a pair of socks and then headed for the kitchen not really caring about his appearance; he didn't have coffee yet. He wasn't the only one with bed-head thankfully, though his was probably worse.

"Good morning Seeley," greeted Jennifer. Booth nodded in reply, still sleepy, and headed for the coffeepot. "So what time are you guys leaving?"

"I'm not sure," replied Paterson. "Probably ten o'clock or so."

"Boys!" shouted Jennifer. "Come eat breakfast!" The two boys ran downstairs as they were called and placed their schoolbags on the ground before grabbing the box of Froot Loops.

"Thanks for the coffee," said Booth. "I'm going to get ready." He returned to his bedroom and laid out his clothes, jeans and a long sleeve shirt along with his favorite pair of sneakers. He shaved, showered and dressed before heading back out. The twins were putting on their shoes so their mother could take them to school.

"Bye honey," said Jennifer. Paterson nodded and pulled his wife in for a kiss. Booth and the twins looked on in disgust.

"Eww!" they called out in unison.

"Yeah, get a room," said Andy. When the couple parted, Michael had a big smile on his face and Jennifer was blushing.

"Come on guys, the roads are going to be a little slippery." She ushered the boys outside and left behind Booth and her husband.

"It's only eight thirty, you just want to start heading out there now?"

"Whatever. I don't care." Paterson nodded and grabbed his jacket and they headed out on another long journey.

"Okay, so the next drive is about an hour and a half to the company complex. It's in the middle of nowhere on a juicy plot of land so we can do the firearms tests. To test the sniper rifles we usually go into the mountainous areas so that we can get different terrain, distances and such. We'll go out later this afternoon and stay there perhaps half the night and check out the weapons. You'll give me your feedback and perhaps we'll make some changes and try it again. Sound good?"

"Okay."

"Good. So I never asked you how Parker's been doing. I remember you telling me that he was going into kindergarten this year and that's pretty much it."

"Yeah. The kid's great. He absolutely loves school and hanging out with his friends and everything."

Paterson laughed. "That's great. So I never got to totally bug you on the subject of your partner."

"Why is _everyone_ fascinated with that subject?"

"Aw come on. If I wasn't married I'd tell you about my love life."

"Not that I would listen." Booth leaned his arm against the door. "She really is my work partner and we work together to solve crimes."

"Duh."

"You gonna comment or listen. Anyway over the past two years we have been working together we have become very close, as friends, and, well, it's just too complicated."

"Fine then. Don't share."

"What, are you going to get all pouty? There's nothing to it, really." Booth saw Paterson roll his eyes and he shook his head. "So what's this rifle you've got? What's it like?"

"Oh just wait. I've made a Powerpoint presentation for you."

"Oh. Cool." There was silence for a few minutes, and Booth took the time to take in the scenery around him. Then he realized he was in the middle of nowhere. "So what now?"

"Well I suppose I should tell you about the people I work with," said Paterson. There were four people on my team, now three. There was this one fellow, Jonathon Young that had the original concept for the rifle you are going to fire. He and the one guy, Theo Hunter really didn't like each other and constantly argued. Johnnie got fed up, left me an email, and left the project about two years ago. Theo's a pain, without a doubt, the surly thing he is, but the man's a genius. Served during Desert Storm, that's where I met him as a matter of fact. Then there is Joel Smile. Yeah, funny name, I know. He's good with his hands and does some of the casting and work like that for us. He was working with Cheyenne Tactical and their Intervention. The final one is an energetic boy genius. I mean the kid with the physics; he would make us look like total idiots. His name is Alex Devereaux and he, along with his wife Lindsay, has been working with us for some time with bullet dimensions and all that jazz. You'll like them."

"I can't wait."

The rest of the drive was spent in silence with each man immersed in his own thoughts. Within an hour they pulled into the parking lot of the complex. The building was large and gray, built right near the bottom of a mountain. Booth followed Paterson in and swiped his card through a slot, effectively opening another door.

"With all the security you'd think this place was Los Alamos or something," remarked Booth as they passed a security station.

"Yeah well you can never be too careful." Paterson pressed the call button for an elevator and a door dinged open. They rode the elevator down two floors and were introduced to a large room. Booth could see that this was the main area for all the work. Paterson whistled and three people form across the room made their way over. "Guys and lady, this is our test subject, Special Agent Seeley Booth. I served with him, crack shot." Paterson pointed to a man with black hair with a neutral expression on his face. "Seeley, this is Theo Hunter." Seeley extended his hand and Theo gripped it in a very lazy grip. "The next one is Alex Devereaux." The young man looked like he just passed puberty despite being twenty-five. He eagerly grasped Booth's hand in a firm handshake.

"Nice to meet you Agent Booth."

"Booth or Seeley will be fine," replied Booth with a nod.

"And finally this is Lindsay Devereaux, Alex's wife." She smiled and shook Booth's hand. "Well, now that pleasantries have been exchanged, let's get on with the show." Paterson began walking and everyone followed. "Besides working on fire arms, we've been designing new materials for the field, including new camouflage among other things. Now let's watch this Powerpoint I made."

"You know Mike, you were never good with technology," laughed Booth. Paterson was unable to get the Powerpoint to work and spent twenty minutes complaining about it as they headed to another room. In the center, lying down on a table was Paterson and his team's brainchild.

"We call it the Abdicator," said Paterson proudly. Booth looked at him, holding in a laugh. "Okay, we're working on the name."

"I hope so." Paterson smiled and picked up the weapon.. "Weighs about ten kilos, about one point three metres long." He handed it over to Booth, who scrutinized every inch to the point where he would have made the Squints proud.

"Light, easy to handle. I like it. But how does it shoot?"

"There's only a small recoil," answered Smile.

"Yeah," said Paterson. "With the math and physics, predictions have the effective range somewhere near twenty four hundred metres." Booth let out a whistle. "Yep. We haven't done the extreme field tests yet. That's why you're here."

"Cool."

"So, let's get our equipment ready."


	4. Discovery

**Sigh, sorry about the major delays and such. Life is crap-tacular. **

**This part is kinda boring, but I promise Bones will show up soon. I promise!**

Chapter 4

"Boy, being back in the camouflage sure brings back some memories," commented Booth as they headed up the hill. Paterson led the way followed by Booth and Hunter. The others opted to stay behind. Each of the three men carried the same amount of equipment that a modern soldier would have, except they wore heavy jackets to stay warm overnight. Paterson intended for them to test out the night vision equipment also. Paterson mapped out their journey on a GPS system and they were a three-hour walk from the intended site.

The journey was quiet with each man lost in the nature surrounding him. A layer of snow covered the terrain therefore slowing their pace slightly but they made there in three hours nevertheless. Paterson stopped in a clearing near the face of the mountain.

"Joel was out here yesterday placing targets. I own all of this land so there should be no problems with the shooting. Targets are set up at one thousand metres and increments of five hundred until thirty five hundred metres. I highly doubt we'll get to hit that far accurately but with you, who knows with you though." Each man shed their heavy packs and lay them on the snow-covered ground. Immediately Paterson started setting up the tripod while Hunter took out the binoculars for spotting. Booth meandered around the clearing trying to warm up his fingers.

"Booth, come here." The weapon was set up on the ground. "You can calibrate the scope if you need to."

Booth had hit everything up to fifteen hundred metres and went eight five percent up to twenty three hundred. After that Paterson suggested that they move forward a bit as the sun was beginning to set. After packing up their belongings they moved up on a thirty-minute walk to some another clearing. Booth had reset up the weapon and was focusing on the target ahead, which was bathed in an eerie green glow. The temperature had dropped, hovering just above twenty degrees and Booth was thankful for the warm jacket he was wearing. Just as he was about to take his shoot, nature called.

"I gotta go," he murmured quickly. He nearly jumped up and ran into the woods finding a fallen log covered in fungi. As he emptied his bladder, he noticed the faint smell of decay, an odor he had become well accustomed to since working with Brennan. He zipped up and hopped over the log and noticed something sticking out underneath. He squatted and removed a flashlight from the cargo vest he was wearing and shined it beneath the log where, to his dismay, he located a skull. "Damn," he muttered. He sighed and hollered for Paterson.

"What do you want Booth?" bellowed Paterson in return, his voice echoing through the area. "Get caught in your zipper?"

"Very funny, just get over here!" Booth heard snow crunching beneath heavy boots and Paterson appeared with Hunter in tow. Booth gestured to his find beneath the log.

"What the hell?" blurted out Paterson. "Are those human?"

"I've worked with a forensic anthropologist for the past two years. I will never match her intelligence, but that doesn't mean that I won't pick up a thing or two."

"Damn." Paterson shook his head. "This whole area is fenced off; no one in their right mind would come over here, better yet die!"

"Well you have to call the proper authorities, this could be only a suicide, an accidental death or even a murder."

"I do not want the authorities running around my property if they don't have to. Booth, Seeley, things happen." Booth noticed the pleading tone to Paterson's voice and raised an eyebrow. "It was a while back, there was a problem and…"

"Mike I cannot just stand here while remains are here. You have to do something."

Paterson kicked at a rock on the ground and then, as if a light bulb lit above his head, he looked at Booth with a huge smile. "You call you lady friend. I'll pay for her trip and anything she wants, hell I'll pay her for everything that she does out here."

Booth laughed. "She's loaded too buddy. And she doesn't like to be disturbed. But you know what, you can call her and you can ask her. How's that sound?"

"Sounds like a plan," smiled Paterson.

"You have no clue what you are getting in to."

"We'll see. Well I guess we should head back then. Hunter, mark the coordinates on the GPS please."


	5. Bones

**I hope that this chapter is as good as I hoped it would be because from my view it wasn't good. But I seem to be in the habit of underestimating myself. Shrug Oh well. Anywhoooooo, reivew if you feel like it!**

Chapter 5 

She was just climbing into the warmth of her bed when it rang. The damn device, both her savior and the bane in her hectic life rang and blinked until she groaned and picked it up. Of course, it could only be one person this late.

"Booth this better be good," she warned.

"Ah what a wonderful greeting to you Dr. Brennan," returned Paterson. "I do first want to apologize for calling you at such an ungodly hour but I have a proposition for you."

Brennan could hear Booth shout in the background," Get to the point Mike!"

"How can I help you Mr. Paterson," sighed Brennan. She got out of bed and headed to the kitchen to get a glass of water.

"Please, Mike or Michael will do. Anyway, early this evening your 'partner'"—Paterson emphasized the word—"stumbled upon some bones that should not have been on my property. Now Seeley as good-natured as he his, insisted on calling the police."

"Mike she doesn't care about that," she heard Booth say again. "Bones, it's me. There are some bones out here that I think are worth looking at. Mike is wary of the police and he is willing to pay for everything including the trip out here." Brennan sighed. She should have known something would come up. It should have been free time away from Booth, no random pop-ins, no random phone calls and invite to lunch. Of course nothing worked that way. But he did help her with her father's case.

"I'll do it Booth. Where do I have to go?" Booth gave her instructions and then said that they would pick her up at the airport.

"And Bones, can you stop off at my house and grab the Flyers jersey from my closest." She sighed and dropped the phone on the table beside her before looking at the microwave clock. One forty five. She had to pack; her flight left at five.

It was the worst plane ride in her entire life. Despite being first class, the plane smelled faintly of vomit and the man beside her was snoring loudly and reeked of sweat. Not the good sweat either. She was thankful when the plane finally landed and she could breathe. She followed everyone off the plane and checked the time on her phone, which she already changed to Mountain Standard Time. She returned the device to her pocket and headed to the baggage claim area where Booth said he was going to wait. However upon reaching the area she could only see the form of Paterson slightly favoring his right arm.

"Mr. Paterson, if you are favoring you arm that much perhaps you should she a doctor," she advised as she stood beside him.

"First of all, please call me Mike. Second, it's sore from lugging around equipment last night I don't need another woman telling me what to do. That's why I got married. And lastly, do you ever properly greet someone?" He said the last line with a smile hoping that he didn't offend her.

"Sorry Mike. Booth seems to tell me that all the time. Bad social skills I guess."

"Dr. Brennan, there are no worries. Where I came from, I was the guy that yelled at young men to march forward through fatigue and terrible weather lugging one hundred pounds of equipment. Trust me, I'm the one with the bad social skills." They shared a laugh and then Brennan saw Booth coming from the direction of the lavatories.

"Bones, thanks for coming out on such short notice. I guess I uh owe you one, eh?"

"Yes Booth, you do." She stepped forward and grabbed the bag with her tag on it. She lifted it up and Booth went to grab it from her hand. Brennan didn't like his gesture and thrust it away from his direction and ended up hitting Mike in his bad arm.

"Um like ow," he said aloud turning towards the two. "If your incessant flirting is going to end up with someone getting hurt or anything negative as a matter of fact then I'm going to have to send one of you back. And it's not going to be the lady because she's sweet and pretty." Both Booth and Brennan looked at Paterson shocked, mouths open. "Lovely. Now if we could just head out to the location of the remains I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you." With that he turned on his heel and whistled as he strode to the parking lot.

Nearly two hours later on an extremely long and boring car ride they arrived at the complex.

"Doctor Brennan, you may leave your things in the car. After we head up there we're gonna go back to my place to get some well earned rest. So if you two would kindly behave and follow me…"

They passed through all the security again and made their way to the locker rooms. "It's going to be chilly up there so you're going to want to dress warm." He opened trunk in the room and removed three sets of boots, long underwear, pants, coats, hat; the whole nine yards. "Weather may turn later on and I would prefer to be prepared rather than freeze thank you very much."

The three separated into individual sections to change soon the trio was on the way to the site. It was quick this time, a quick ninety-minute walk to the site. Despite following a GPS system, they had still marked the area around the remains just in case. Booth was the first to notice neon reflective tape tied around a tree.

"This way," he pointed and led the way to the area. It was just the same, as they left not many hours before. Brennan took off the gloves she was wearing and traded them for latex ones from the backpack slung on her shoulder. She then took out a camera and began taking pictures. After the initial pictures, she then removed a tape recorder and made introductions. Mike sighed and stood beside Booth, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"She always do this?" he semi-whined.

"Yep," replied Booth.

"Howe do you put up with it? Just standing there, listening to her. Well I mean the view is nice, but still…" Booth looked up at him and sent him daggers. "Joke man, it was a joke!"

"If you two are done, I would like to move this log to get a better view." They nodded and each took a end and moved it back. Mike grunted in pain and dropped the log to rub his arm.

"Yeah thanks guys. I am fine. No my arm is okay really," said Mike sarcastically.

"Sorry buddy," laughed Booth. Brennan, however, was oblivious to the bickering and was more concentrated on the remains in front of her. The whole skeleton was exposed and there seemed to be no remnants of soft tissue or even organic matter.

"Male, mid thirties to early forties. Dead maybe two years at least. Cause of death…" She picked up the skull turned it over in her hands. "Large caliber gunshot wound to the back of the head." Mike swore and Booth shook his head. "We can't rule this murder or accident yet."

"Well this is my property. I know, well at least I though I knew everything that happened on my property. I haven't had problems in over six years I've been working here. Since we've started working with the government our security has gotten tighter with motion sensors and stuff. But those were only added last year."

"Well I'm sorry Mr. Pat…Mike but we need to launch a proper investigation." Mike swore again and nodded.

"Well I know the sheriff. I'll call him and tell him to send the chopper. We don't happen to have a forensic anthropologist around so I'm sure he'll ask you two to stick around. You'll be able to hole up at my place. Better than the local inn by a mile."

By the time Mike pulled up to his own driveway it was nearly four o'clock. The sheriff was more than complaint (seeing as he and Mike were great friends) and allowed full use of the police facilities. The bones were packaged and transported back to the police station.

Booth took Brennan's things inside and again the Paterson family lined up for introductions. "Dr. Brennan this is Jennifer, my wife."

"Please, call me Tempe," replied Brennan as she shook the woman's hand.

"And these are my two twin troublemakers, Andrew and James." Brennan knelt down to their level and shook their hands.

"Nice to meet you Tempe," said the young boy with the shorter hair. "My name is James. Do you like dinosaurs?"

"Yes I do. I once wrote a paper about dinosaurs a long time ago. Maybe later or tomorrow I can tell you about them."

"Cool!" Then, like the kid he is, ran to go roughhouse with his brother.

"Come Tempe, I'll show you to the other guest room," said Jennifer. Brennan followed he down the hall to an empty room that would rival the size of her own. "It shares a bathroom with the other room where your Seeley is staying."

"Thanks a lot. I appreciate you letting me stay here."

"Of course. Don't worry about it. Feel free raid the refrigerator, watch TV, read a book; feel free to do anything." Brennan smiled again and placed her things on the floor and returned to the living room where the men were talking.

"Mike come help me with the food." Mike complied leaving Booth and Brennan behind. Booth shrugged and sat on the couch and flipped on the television. Brennan followed, except she faced him with her arms crossed.

"You owe me so big on this one," she said with a faint smile.

"Sure Bones. What do you want? Keep in mind you cannot ask for a gun."

"Do you always have to cloud up on my parade?"

Booth wiped a hand over his face. "Rain Bones. You rain on someone's parade. And you should ask for something that I can actually give you that doesn't involve me going to someone higher than me on the government pay scale."

She thought for a moment, but came up dry. "I'll think of something Booth. And when I do, you will not be able to get out of it."

After dinner Brennan raised over to take a shower after dinner in hopes of getting to bed early, but by ten it was toe much for her. She crept out of bed and out of her room. She looked in on Booth to find him tangled in the sheets snoring. She stifled a laugh; she didn't think Booth snored. She tiptoed to the kitchen and was surprised to find a young James sitting at the table with a cup of water.

"Shouldn't you be in bed?" asked Brennan as she got a cup of her own.

"Yes, but I'm not sleepy. And I went to Mommy and Daddy's room but it's locked and I here laughs and stuff." Brennan held in a laugh as she had a very good idea as to what was going on.

"Oh." She sat next to him.

"Yep." He got up and placed his cup in the sink. Brennan noticed the toy duck sitting on the table. James returned and took the toy. "His name is Mr. Duck. I had him since I was a baby."

"He's very cute." She took the last sip of her water. "So can you get back to sleep or…" She was unsure of what to do.

"I'm not sleepy." He looked up at her with sleepy eyes and hope. "Would you read me a story about dinosaurs?"

Brennan bit her lip, but then outstretched her hand as she had seen Booth do with Parker on the few occasions she saw them together. "Sure."

Brennan sat on the couch while James went to get a book. Then he sat beside her with the book in his lap as she read it to him. By the end, no later than ten minutes, James was snoring softly. She smiled but then realized that she didn't know what to do. Should she leave him here or carry him upstairs? She thought for a moment and then realized that she had no clue. She then took a deep breath and made her way to Booth's door. She walked in surreptitiously and poked him in the side.

"Booth," she whispered harshly. He grunted and then rolled over on the other side. She rolled her eyes and went for it again. This time she squeezed his nostrils together and hissed his name. Still no response. She sighed and bent down and shouted his name as loud as she could without disturbing everyone. He quickly opened an eye.

"Bones, what the hell is going on?" he asked sleepily.

"I need help. I was reading James a story and he fell asleep and I don't know if I should move him and wake him up or leave him." Booth started laughing which was causing her to get angry. "What's so funny?"

"You have no clue. Well consider this your favor." Booth got up to reveal that he was shirtless and wearing only lounge pants slung low.

"That's not a favor Booth." But he already left the room. Booth carried James back upstairs to put him to bed and returned.

"Bones, go to bed. I've got some dreams to dream." And with that he shooed her from the room to go to bed.


	6. Examinations

Brennan still had a hard time getting to bed, however this time for a reason different from the other. She couldn't seem to shake the image of Booth shirtless from her mind. 'That's preposterous,' she thought to herself. 'Surely I've seen him shirtless before. That time when he was changing his shirt at the lab, or that time he was in the hospital. It's nothing new.'

However another reason seemed to pop in her head. 'Perhaps it's because you haven't gotten any since Sully left nearly three months ago.'

'I've been through longer droughts before,' she argued back.

'Yeah in college, when you are studying for tests. That's different. This time is no different than that time at the diner after the little duet when you wanted nothing more than to kiss him. Or any other time as a matter of fact, when you and he were alone. Those thoughts, impure thoughts would run through your mind…'

She shook her head in a lazy attempt to dissipate that internal conversation she was having. Deep down she knew that some part of that was true, but the other parts of her wished it untrue to avoid all the seemingly unavoidable problems of a steady relationship. She wanted nothing more than to cover her face with a pillow and scream, her favorite way of relieving anger and tension, but instead, chose to roll over and will the sleep to come.

Seeley Booth awoke after a good night's sleep. Well after the interruption from Brennan at least. He went to the bathroom and threw on a t-shirt and pants. He didn't feel like shaving and headed to the kitchen. He saw that Mike was already awake as was Jennifer.

"Mornin' Seeley," greeted Mike as he looked over a newspaper.

"Morning Mike, Jennifer."

"Would you like some eggs and bacon?" she questioned.

"Sure." He sat at the table and Jennifer began piling on enough eggs to feed a lumberjack.

"Is Tempe awake yet?"

"No. I'll wake her up," said Booth. He got up and headed down the hallway to Bones' room. He rapped gently on the door, but she didn't answer; she was still sleeping. He held his breath as he pushed the door open. She was sleeping on the bed, her one leg hanging off, with the blankets on the floor. One arm was like her leg, hanging off the bed, while the other was flung over her face. This pulled up the short shirt she was wearing, exposing most of her stomach. Feeling mighty guilty and undeserving of seeing her in such a calm state, he stepped forward to gently wake her.

"Bones," he whispered while giving her a nudge. "Time to wake up." She grumbled something and rolled over away from him. Booth rolled his eyes; he had always pegged her as an easy riser. "Bones, let's go!" he tried a little harsher. She bolted upright and looked at him before slapping him.

"What are you doing in here?" she questioned.

"I was checking to see if you wanted breakfast before we headed out. I didn't think you would be so cranky."

She was now out of bed, putting it back together after spending the night tossing and turning. "Sorry, didn't sleep well last night."

"Sorry to here that. Not comfortable?"

"No, not that," she replied without meeting his gaze. "Just thinking about the lab."

"Huh. Okay. Well breakfast is ready." He smiled and left the room. She finished making the bed before once again collapsing on top of it. She slept terribly after awaking herself from a rather erotic dream starring her and Booth. Shaking the pleasant dream from her mind, she freshened up in the bathroom before heading for breakfast. She took the seat beside Booth and almost immediately a heaping plate of eggs was placed before her.

"Thank you," she said to Jennifer.

"No problem." She poured milk into two bowls of cereal. "Boys, breakfast, now!" The sound of four feet pounding the floor was audible as the energetic boys came pounding down the steps. She placed the bowls on the tables and the boys sat down, Andrew between Booth and Mike and James next to Brennan.

Brennan turned to look at the young boy whose gaze was fixed on her. "So how's the cereal?"

"Yummy. Are your eggs good?"

"Yep." Booth stood up from the table.

"I'm going to go take a shower so we can head out." He left the room and Brennan, who ate only half the eggs, pushed the plate forward. James mimicked her movements.

"Mommy, can I show Tempe my room?" asked James.

"Sure honey. Be sure to clean it while you're up there." James grabbed Brennan by the hand.

"Come see my room!"

Booth came out of the shower and dressed twenty minutes later. He was just putting his cell phone in his pocket as he entered the living room. Jennifer was watching a morning talk show, while Mike typed away on his laptop. Andrew was on the floor making a big crash scene with his toys.

"Where's Bones?" questioned Booth upon noticing her disappearance.

"She followed James upstairs before. Third door on your left," replied Mike without looking up.

"Thanks." Booth went upstairs and went to James' room. He was Brennan lying on her side on his bed with James sitting beside her. He was pointing at various pictures in a picture album.

"Daddy took us to the desert where his friend works and we got to watch the dinosaur digs. The man showed us stuff they found already and he even let me touch it!" Brennan laughed at the excited boy and Booth laughed at Brennan. Who ever said she couldn't be a mother?

"Sorry James but I have to go to work now."

"Are you going to come back here?" he asked with a cute hopeful look

"Of course. I'll see you later." Brennan smiled and headed for the door. "Omph," she squeaked after coming into contact with Booth's hard chest. "Were you just standing there?"

Booth had the world's biggest grin on his face as he replied. "Yes. You are very good with kids."

"Booth, he did all the talking. I just sat there."

"Say what you want Bones. Kids like you."

"Are you two done bickering yet so we can get moving?" asked Mike as they reached the bottom of the stairs. They nodded and Mike grabbed his keys to go.

The drive was short; Mike took advantage of the empty roads and drove at nearly seventy-five on the way. They arrived in an hour.

"Hello, I'm Peter Franz, the sheriff around here. Thanks for taking the case Dr. Brennan. We tend to get frozen hikers and rotten corpses at the spring and we have bone guy come up for that time. He's in Hawaii now. Lucky guy." They shared a laugh.

"Pete, this is Special Agent Seeley Booth and his partner, the beautiful Doctor Temperance Brennan," introduced Mike. They shook had as courtesy and then Peter began moving through the station.

"Well I'm sure your anxious to get started. We keep all remains downstairs." They took an elevation downstairs and Peter showed her to the remains lying out on the table. She put on a pair of gloves to better examine the remains.

"Is there someone here that can assist?" Brennan asked Peter.

"Yeah. Ashley is the diener. She's upstairs right now, but I'll get her." Within moments Peter returned with a tall, dark haired woman.

"Hi, I'm Ashley Baden. You need my help."

"Yes," said Brennan. She outlined her plans to Ashley and explained her methods of evidence extraction. Ashley followed every word and nodded in understanding. Within minutes the examination begun.

Booth on the other hand turned to Mike and Peter. "This is going to take a while."

"I have some things to do, but you guys are more than welcome to hang out in the lounge and get some coffee." Mike and Booth nodded and Peter led the way. Each man made their coffee and took a seat around a table. The room was void of any people, not like the whole building itself was Penn Station.

"So James seems to be attached to Dr. Brennan," commented Mike, absentmindedly stirring his coffee. "He told me this morning that she read to hi last night."

Booth laughed remembering her walking into his room distressed the night before. But then in the morning, seeing her with James, it was as if she was a natural. He wished that for just five minutes, he could see into her life. "Uh huh."

"How come a girl like her isn't married? She's got the money, looks, and smarts."

Booth smiled. "There's more to her than meets the eye. She hasn't had a fairy tale life. Poor woman's had her heart broken more times than anyone should and she doesn't deserve it."

"Sounds like you really know her."

"We've been together through some hard times. We're good friends, nothing more." Booth stood from the table and threw his have drunk coffee into the garbage. "We better get back there before she wants to know where we went."

A half hour later the examination was complete; everything that Brennan could determine was completed. Ashley snapped enough pictures to keep a developer busy for a fortnight and there were enough containers ready to be shipped to need an entire delivery truck.

"The victim is a male, aged twenty five to forty, five foot eleven, and weighed one seventy five. Cause of death is a gunshot wound to the parietal bone. Caliber is large so Zach will have to take a look at it and make comparisons."

Booth nodded. "Well let's get this stuff shipped out. Until then, there's not much we can do."

After the deliveryman came to pick everything up, the threesome stood around.

"Well your preliminary results haven't told us much," said Booth. "We have to wait to see if the DNA matches anything in CODIS. Until then we are free."

"Hey man, like I said, mi casa es su casa."


	7. Dinner

Chapter 7 

The drive back was fast again to the Patterson household. This time the place was empty, as the kids were at school and Jennifer was at work.

"Booth with the data we took the other day I want to go over some stuff with my team so I'll be in my office. You two are welcome to the wide array of movies, the TV, food, computer, and everything. Tonight is Friday night and we always go out for dinner as a family and you two are more than welcome to join us."

"Thanks Mike," replied Brennan. He smiled and shuffled off to his office. Booth opted to lie on the couch and started surfing through the channels. Brennan sat in one of the Lazy-boy chairs. Her gaze, however, wasn't on the TV, but the world outside. The world outside was covered in a layer of white, making everything look clean and pure. I brought back memories, when she and Russ would be home from school….

_There was the sound of a door being slammed opened and the groaning of the bed sinking as the young man jumped on his sister's bed. _

'_No,' groaned the sleeping girl as she placed a pillow over her head. 'Not ready to get up yet.' But the boy wouldn't have any of it. He ripped the pillow from atop her head and flung it across the room. _

'_Tempe! We have a snow day. No school today!' he shouted causing her to sit up abruptly. After seeing the size of her brother's smile she followed suit barreling down the stairs and nearly colliding with her father_

'_Hey there you two,' he said. 'Be careful. I have to go to work but behave and listen to your mother.' He bent down and kissed them both before walking out the door._

'_You two aren't going outside until you have breakfast!' warned her mother from the kitchen. The smell of pancakes was diffusing around the house and there was no objection.. _

Brennan smiled remembering the routine she and Russ had on snow day mornings. She remembered staying out all day until they were soaked and frozen to the bone…

"Temperance, you're crying," stated Booth effectively pulling her from her reverie. He was now kneeling in front of her with a concerned look on his face.

"What? No I'm not," she replied quickly. She tried to hide her face as she sprung up from the chair and headed for the kitchen. "Do you want anything?"

He followed her into the kitchen and watched her as she moved around trying to find cups. "Bones, are you okay?"

"Yes Booth, I'm fine. There was just something in my eye." _'Good one,'_ she thought to herself. "Do you want anything?"

Without removing the suspicion from his face he replied," Sure, a Coke please." She nodded and Booth returned to the living room. "Bones, want to watch a movie?"

"Not really." She handed him the drink before heading down the hall. "I'm just going to take a nap." She quickly moved down the hallway and headed for her bedroom. Once inside she collapsed on the bed and rubbed her eyes. It had just hit, after nearly half a year, how much she really missed her brother. She didn't like missing him, especially since he had missed the last fifteen years of her life and more, but he was still her brother. Just like her father; he came back and helped her find Booth as if he never left in the first place and for some reason it felt right. She wanted to be angry with him, to tell him off, and to make him feel like she felt without family but she just couldn't. She sighed and willed away the memories and soon sleep took over.

Booth sat in the living room watching the end of the movie _Slap Shot_. He laughed as he turned off the TV; he could watch the movie a million times and still laugh. Now that his attention was no longer busy on the television, he wondered what Mike was up to. Speaking of, he heard a curse and the sound of a plastic truck getting kicked out of the way.

"Damn kids never putting their toys away," muttered Mike as he took a seat beside Booth. "Where's Temperance?"

"I think she was tired…probably went to take a nap."

"Oh. So tonight, you guys in for dinner? We were thinking of something along the lines of perhaps TGI Friday's?"

"Sounds good to me man. I'm gonna go and check on Bones." He got up from the couch and stretched before heading down to Bones' bedroom. Just as he opened the door and stepped in, he heard the young Pattersons run inside and attack their father. He stepped in the room and saw that she was curled into a ball on the top of the blanket with her back to the door. He tiptoed over to the bed and sat on it, placing a soothing hand on her shoulder.

"Temperance, are you okay?" he asked softly.

"Mmm," she replied and drew herself closer.

"Bones," he repeated this time with a gentle shake. "Return to the land of the living."

She rolled over onto her stomach and pushed her face into the pillow. "What do you want Booth?" came her muffled reply.

"A million dollars and you," he mumbled so that she couldn't hear it. "Mike invited us to dinner, you coming?" She groaned and turned over, wiping her eyes in the process.

"Bones, you were crying," stated Booth.

"No I wasn't," she replied quickly knowing full well there was no hiding it.

"Temperance, don't lie. Is everything okay?"

"Yes Booth. Stop worrying." She got off the bed and put on her shoes. "So where are we going?"

"Mike suggested something simple like TGI Friday's. You up for it?"

"Sure, I just need to use the bathroom."

Booth nodded. "Bones," he added just before she shut the door. "Are you sure you're okay?" She rolled her eyes and nodded before shutting and locking the door.

It took twenty minutes to get to the restaurant. It was busy, full of families and patrons. Brennan strayed toward the back acting like a tag along.

"Hello and welcome to TGI Friday's. How many people in your party sir?" asked the lady that greeted them at the door.

"Er." Mike turned around and counted heads. One, two, three, six. Six people."

"Great. Follow me please." The six of them were seated at a table in the back. Booth sat next to Brennan and James wanted to sit next to Brennan.

"Honey I'm sure that she doesn't want to sit next to a messy little boy that always happens to spill his drink," lectured Jennifer sourly.

"No, it's quite alright. He can sit by me." Everyone was seated and drinks were ordered and delivered.

"Can I take your order now or do you need a few more minutes?" asked the waiter Tim.

Mike looked around the table. "We'll order now. Um, the kids macaroni and cheese and the kids chicken fingers for the young ones."

"Good choices," replied Tim jokingly to the boys. "And for the adults?"

"I'll have a Jack Daniels burger," said Brennan.

"Hey I was going to get that!" cried Booth.

"Sir, I'm sure the cook wouldn't mind making more than one…" The table broke out into laughter, except for Booth.

"I know that," said Booth through gritted teeth. "I'll take the Jack Daniels burger."

"And you ma'am?" Tim now had his attention on Jennifer.

"Jack Daniels burger."

"Fine choice. And you sir? Dare I say Jack Daniels burger?"

"I'll have a Jack…crispy chicken sandwich." They group laughed and Tim collected the menus.

"Great. I'll be back." He smiled and walked away.

"Someone's trying to get a big tip," mumbled Booth.

"What was that?" asked Brennan looking at him suspiciously.

"Nothing," he replied innocently.

"Stop!" yelled James, gaining the attention of all the adults.

"What's going on you two?" asked Jennifer sternly.

"Andy keeps kicking me under the table! I keep messing up on my picture." Mike turned to round on Andy when Brennan pulled James into her lap.

"What are you drawing?" Brennan asked quickly while pulling the children's menu over towards her.

"It's a dinosaur! A stegosaurus!"

"Cool. Can I draw something?"

"Okay!" Keeping one hand around the boy's stomach to keep him on her lap, she used the other to except the green crayon and begin drawing an _Archaeopteryx. _She heard Booth and Mike engaging in a conversation about hockey, but the only thing she was paying attention to was the boy on her lap and his picture.

"What is that; it looks like a bird?" questioned James as he looked up to Brennan.

"It's called an _Archaeopteryx_. It was believed to be the first bird. It was kinda like a dinosaur, but a bird too."

"Cool I want to draw one too!"

"Good to see that someone isn't a baby with taking ideas first," mumbled Brennan, but loud enough to catch Booth's attention.

"Did you say something?"

"Nope not at all," she replied with a smile. "Oh look, food's here!" Brennan moved James back to his seat while Tim dished out the food. She didn't notice Booth leaning closer.

"Bones, who knew that you could be so maternal?" he whispered lowly in her ear. "It's a turn on." He leaned back to eat his Jack Daniels burger leaving Brennan's mouth open and staring at him. "Hey, like what you see?" She launched a fry in his direction as they laughed.

After dinner they returned to the Paterson home. The boys were already asleep and Booth and Mike carried them to their beds. Afterwards, everyone sat around in the living room.

"Hey, were any of you ever in a hot tub while it's like thirty degrees outside?" inquired Mike. Only Jennifer and Brennan raised their hands.

Booth looked at Brennan with raised eyebrows. "When have you…?"

"Long time ago when I was Alaska on a trip…it feels so good."

"Do you guys want to join us?"

"Sure," replied Booth. But they didn't get Brennan's answer as it was drowned out by the sound of her cell phone ringing.

"Excuse me for a moment." She stepped outside onto the front porch and drew her coat close around her.

"Brennan," she answered.

"It's me Angela. Zach just completed the preliminary examination on the remains."

"Wait, already?"

"Yeah they arrived here a few hours ago."

Brennan looked at the time on her phone. "It's almost one o'clock over there. Why in the world are you still at the lab?"

"Says the woman that spends eighteen hours there a day. Zach and Hodgins got in an argument over their bug racing and now Hodgins refuses to drive Zach home so to help Zach I'm refusing to go home with Hodgins and well we're at a standstill. But that's not why I called. We've got a name."

"The Squints? Isn't that what Booth calls us anyway. We knew that."

"What?! We have a name for the victim. How much have you had to drink tonight?"

"Nothing Ange. What's the name?"

"Jonathon Petr Young. Listen, they're arguing again. I'll have Zach send the information tomorrow. Take care Sweetie." Brennan returned the phone to her pocket and stepped back inside. She couldn't help but to shake the feeling that she'd heard that name before…

"Bones, who was that?"

"Angela, they got a name for the vic."

"And what is it?"

"Jonathon Young. I've heard that name before though…"

"Yeah, from me," said Mike. "Everyone in the room looked towards his direction. "He and I had the original concept for the gun. Remember the one that left." Both Booth and Brennan gasped.


	8. Revalations

**Chapter 8**

"Zach can you see us now?" questioned Brennan over the phone. Booth, Mike and Brennan had relocated to Mike's office where he had a projector and a webcam that made them seem like they were in the lab too.

"Yes Doctor Brennan, you can hang up the phone now," said Zach as he came into the camera's field of view.

"Okay Zach, show me your results."

The skeleton, rather the remains of Jonathon Young, were the main focus of the screen. "Our testing was consistent with your results. However, we found a metal identification tag implanted in his bone. The bone actually grew over it and concealed it. It had his identification with the military on it. I thought that's what dog tags were for…"

"Er Johnnie served with a rather elite group of men," added Mike. "That's probably a GPS tracking device too, but it most likely would have been turned off after his discharge from the service.

"Oh," replied Zach. "We have also found many healed fractures on the bones, especially those of the lower limbs consistent with constant blunt force trauma." Booth inhaled sharply and Brennan and Mike threw quick glances at him before looking back at Zach.

"He served in deep undercover missions for the Army. He wouldn't tell me, but some things that we talked about in reference to war and such would really drain the color from his face…"

"Well cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head, a large caliber bullet. I reverse engineered to find the caliber…it didn't register on any of the common calibers, but it was close to the .408." Booth and Brennan turned and looked at Mike who swore and kicked at the desk.

"There was also trace amounts of strontium in the entrance and exit wounds."

"Good job Zach. Email me your report and please stop acting like a child. Good night." The connection was cut with

"Tracers," said Booth, who then turned towards Mike. "You guys test with tracers?"

"Yeah about two years ago when we were first working with the prototype models. We were comparing data with other weapons so tracer rounds were how we tracked at night. Damn! How could something like this happen? This happened with my own team!"

"Mike calm down. Tomorrow we'll head down there and see what's going on."

"Yeah. Sorry for my behavior. It's uh getting late so I'm just going to head for bed. Good night to you all." He nodded and stomped upstairs, sounding as though he was throwing a temper tantrum like a child.

"Does he always act like a child when he's angry?" questioned Brennan. She sat down at the desk chair and typed in the website so she could check her email.

Booth stretched out on the leather couch in the office. "Bones, you don't understand him. He hates when things under his control go, well out of his control. He's not a control freak, well he sort of his. He's more of a perfectionist. He especially hates to see bad things happen to his friends as would anyone. What email address is this?" Brennan didn't realize that the projector was still working, and now her inbox was displayed on the far wall.

"Huh? Oh this is my personal one."

"Bonesdoc?" laughed Booth. "Is that the best you can come up with?"

"All the good ones were taken."

"Like what?" asked a curious Booth.

"Like se-" Booth, who sat up quickly, cut off Brennan.

"Is that from Sully?" questioned Booth incredulously staring at the many emails. She clicked on one from a former professor and it opened showing him and fellow students at a dig somewhere.

"Yes. Why?" She laughed as she read a few lines of the email from the professor.

"I thought he was busy sailing the seven seas!"

"Booth he sends me an email once a month explaining what he's up to and sometimes includes pictures. Is there a problem with that?"

"Well uh…"

"Don't even answer that. There is no problem for you don't control my love life." She angrily logged out of the account and stormed off to her bedroom. Booth groaned before following into his own bedroom.

The next morning came with dull gray clouds and the threat of snow. Brennan was up and showered before Booth. She headed to the kitchen where Mike was already talking to his wife.

"Good morning Tempe," greeted Mike with a smile. "Sleep well?'

"Mmm," she answered non-committed. Booth slunk into the room and poured himself a large cup of coffee.

"Mornin' Seel," greeted Mike cheerily. Booth merely grunted in reply and sat opposite Brennan.

"Uh oh. Something happened last night," said Mike. He sat in front of the duo. "What happened?" Booth and Brennan still refused to look at each other. "Aw there must be trouble in paradise." Booth glared at Mike and he immediately dropped the subject.

"Mike, I want to talk to the people on your team today. Are they all going to be there today?"

"Yes sir. We have to run a few more tests today and I wanted everyone to be there."

"Good. I'm going to isolate the people and question them one by one."

"Sounds good to me… you can do that right?"

"Sure." Booth downed the rest of his coffee. "I just want to have a nice friendly conversation, that's all."

After breakfast they once again took the long drive to the lab. Booth sat in front jabbing away with Mike, while Brennan sat in back, arms crossed in front of her chest, as she watched the scenery go by.

"Why don't you just live closer instead of making this long trip all the time?" asked Booth as they almost reached their destination.

"I've thought about it, Jen's pestered me about it, but I like the drive you know? It's like my chance to be away from everything, my chance to think for myself without having two little devils up my butt and a wife and you know."

Booth chuckled. "Yes I do. Sometimes you just need a time and place to get away from it all."

"Yes sir." They entered the lab which was virtually silent; the only sound coming from the clicking of keys on a computer and some whispering.

"Hey guys," said Mike, startling the people as they jumped apart slightly. "Seeley wants to talk to you guys." They all nodded, save for one.

"We'll start with you first, Theo," said Booth, gesturing for him to stand.

"You can use my office." Mike led them through the building to his office. Booth nodded in thanks, before closing the door and gesturing for Theo to sit.

"Theo, tell me about the relationship you had with Jonathan Young."

Upon hearing the name, Theo sat up. "Why? That was him that you found wasn't it?" Theo punched the arm of the chair.

"Yes, it was."

"Damn." Theo swiped a hand over his face. "Well I suppose you suspect me."

Booth looked up at Theo interested. "Should I suspect you?"

"Well come on, I know damn well that Mike told you all about the differences that Johnnie boy and I had."

"Care to share?"

Theo shrugged. "Whatever." He made himself more comfortable in the seat. "I was just out of Desert Storm when Mike came knocking on my apartment door. He offered me a place to stay and a steady job. After taking a look at the hellhole I was living in, it seemed like the perfect opportunity. He introduced me to his team and his goal; to create a lightweight, more efficient long-distance rifle. John was his prodigy and despite the fact that the man was a genius with his designs, he wanted no feedback. He almost lost his finger during earlier testing. So we would constantly argue, more about his well being than the project itself. Finally one day he just packed up and left. Sure I was pissed he left, but things got much better and quieter."

"Did he indicate that he was going to leave?"

"Well he said it all the time, though purely out of anger. Honestly never really thought that he would leave. He was too much in love with the project, at least I thought he was."

"Thank you Theo. One last question before I let you go. When was the last time you saw him?"

Theo rubbed a hand through his short hair. "Wow that was a long time ago. I think it was late at night when we were just finishing the design. He always stayed late, couldn't talk him out of it, so I left. The next day he was gone."

"And you never thought anything of it?"

Theo shrugged. "Not really." Booth nodded.

"Thank you Theo, I'll be in touch." Theo nodded before heading out of the room and the next person walked in.

Booth questioned the entire close-knit team of Mike, including a few of the other staff coming up on zilch. Booth did learn that despite being a genius, the guy was a pain in the butt that had things his way or not at all. And no one can seem to remember the last time they saw him. Booth wasn't surprised though seeing as he had witnesses not remember what they were doing fifteen minutes beforehand. With a large sigh he announced he was finished and headed for the cafeteria area with Mike and Brennan. After filling up trays with food they took seats in the back to discuss what Booth had learned.

"So Seel, what do you got?" asked Mike as he took a bite of a rather large sandwich.

"Well actually I wanted to talk to you first. What was your relationship with Jonathan Young?"

Mike stopped mid bite and looked up at Booth, disregarding the tomato that plopped on the plate. "You seriously don't suspect me."

"Mike, don't get defensive, you know I have to ask you." Booth met Mike's electric green eyes. "Mike, I'd never suspect you. I just want to know what the guy was like."

Mike shook his head, realizing his attitude. "Sorry Seeley. I just haven't been sleeping well lately…" Booth nodded. "Well being high up in the rankings I heard a lot of stories about the outstanding members of the army. But there was this one kid that everyone talked about. Jonathon Young, shot like a laser, stubborn as a mule. When word went through that he was injured in the line of duty, I wanted him to help lead my project. He readily agreed and despite his attitude, he was a great asset to the team."

"Did you ever try to look for him when he left?"

"Like I said, he left an email saying something about getting a better offer and that he wished me luck."

"Did it seem out of context for him?"

"Uh, well I can't really remember what he said. To be honest, Andy was in the hospital with really bad asthma and I wasn't really paying much attention. You can check the hospital records f you want."

"There will be no need Mike. You guys got good food down here."

"Of course. I better with the prices that I pay…" They all shared a laugh before returning to the main area. "So what happens next?"

"Well we have a cause of death, I suppose that the next thing we should do is check out the people around town that may have known him."

"Is that urgent business?"

Booth looked at the clock on the wall. "We can do that later if you wish."

"That would be better because I wanted to take Theo and Joel out on the range for some practice shots. I had Joel make some changes to the barrel design."

"Okay, Bones and I will just snoop around if that's okay with you."

"Snoop away my friend. I trust you not to do anything stupid with my things." Mike smiled before turning around to gather his team. Booth leaned back in the chair and turned to face Brennan.

"So, what do you think?" asked Booth.

"I think that something is fishy."

"Do you have any proof for that or do I detect the sound of gut instincts," teased Booth with a smile.

"Let's just say that I've decided to open my ears to listen to my gut."

Booth kicked off from the desk, sending the rolling chair halfway across the room to another desk where he began rifling through some papers.

"Booth, is that even legal?"

"Sure, he gave me permission. Easier than obtaining a search warrant." Booth shrugged and continued looking through the papers.

Two hours later Booth had gone through plenty of papers, mainly designs and specifications of the gun. Booth had never known that so much research was an integral part of designing a weapon. Boot found himself going through the papers in Mike's office. He mainly found old letters from friends he served with, pictures of his little boys, and other random papers. Then a red folder caught his eye.

"Hello," he said to himself. "Bones, look at this!" She came in from the other room where she was reading the design of rifle and was thoroughly interested. Too much science he said.

"Found something worthwhile?"

"I think so. Mike was very trusting of his coworkers. He picked them out himself and all so he entrusted them with everything. He even let them do testing with the weapon when he wasn't present. But they had to log their names."

"Booth what makes you think that if one of them did do it, that they would log their name down in the first place."

Booth glared at her. "Stop shooting down my theories. It's the best we've got now." Brennan's cell rang and she headed out to take it. Booth decided to flip through the log ad perhaps get that lucky break.

Brennan returned. "Hodgins found a lack of the common insects that are preset during the early stages of decomp. The insects found in the latter stages are present."

"And that means…"

"John died sometime during the dead of winter, when the area was froze over."

"But two years ago right?"

"That's what Zach believes, yes."

"Okay, wintertime two years ago…" Booth ran his finger down the list. "Hmm seems like a lot of testing was done around that time. Oh wait, there was one time where the signature was not confirmed by Mike."

"What do you mean?"

"Mike evidently signed the log confirming that the weapon was returned and that the results were logged. However this time it was not confirmed."

"Well who was it?" asked Brennan impatiently.

"It was cosigned by Joel and Jonathon."

"And did Jonathon ever take it out again?"

"Uh….nope."

"What did Joel say to you when you initially questioned him?"

"He was sobbing and everything. He said that he and John always worked well together and made great breakthroughs with the project when working together."

"Well I think maybe you should try and talk to him. Oh wait, he's out with Mike."

"Let me try his cell." Just as Booth was dialing he realized he had no reception. "Damn."

A passing employee stuck is head in the door. Booth realized it to be Alex. "There's a major storm raging on out there. You aren't going to get any service on that."

"Is there anyway to get in touch with Mike?"

"What, you mean he's out there?" questioned Alex, worry in his voice.

"Yeah, why, he didn't tell you?"

"Obviously not Booth," added Brennan.

Booth ignored her comment. "I gotta go out there. Can you show me where I can get a jacket?"

"Sure, follow me."


	9. Gunshots

Chapter 9

Booth followed close behind Alex. He was walking way to slow for Booth's standards and he just wanted to give him a kick to the behind to urge him forward. Finally they made their way to the dressing room.

"What the hell," said Alex, upon noticing the body on the ground of the locker room.

"That's Theo!" said Brennan. She stepped forward and checked for a pulse. "He's fine, but he's got a nice head wound."

Booth scribbled something onto a scrap of paper from his pocket. "Alex, call this number and tell them that Agent Seeley Booth has requested backup and give him this location. Have them bring an ambulance for Theo here. As for me, I'm going to see if I can find Mike."

"Booth, if it's a blizzard out there, how will you expect to find him?"

"Bones, have faith will ya? You stay here and tell the authorities what happened."

Brennan crossed her arms, taking up an aggressive pose. "Number one Booth, you lost a guy in the woods when we were up in Aurora. Number two; you can't go out there alone! What if something goes wrong? At least take me with you."

"Bones, I lost that guy in Aurora because the flashlight, which was the sheriff's not mine, ran out of batteries. And he wasn't even the guy anyway. And I can't take you with me in case something happens to you."

"Booth you can't protect me from everything! I've had my nose in trouble since long before you even stepped into my life! I can be a great asset whether you like it or not!"

Booth stared at her for a moment, before sighing and rubbing a hand over his face. "Bones, if you come with me, you have to promise to listen to my every command. In this type of situation, I still have seniority."

Brennan opened her mouth as if to retort but thought better of it. "Fine Booth, but I want a gun."

Booth looked at her and shook his head. "You are a persistent one, you know that Bones?"

"Agent Booth!" called Alex from the next room. Booth and Brennan went over to find Alex standing in a very large supply room. "I'm not sure exactly what you need so you might as well take what you need."

Booth grabbed a satchel bag and filled it with a canteen, first aid kit, glow sticks, flares, and blankets. "Bones put these on." He had handed her pants, jacket, and a bulletproof vest.

"What's with the vest Booth? You don't really think that he is going to kill someone?" He helped her put in an earpiece and clipped a walkie talkie to her vest.

"I would rather be safe than sorry." Booth looked toward the far wall. "Alex should that be open?"

"Nope." He walked over to the cabinet. "Mmm yeah the 'Abdicator' is missing as are magazines."

"Of course," groaned Booth. "Okay now we are going to assume the worst. I'm going to need some fire power."

Alex nodded. "Take what you want. I'm going to assume that Mike won't mind." Booth placed a magazine into a pistol and handed it to Brennan.

"Please don't shoot unless it is absolutely necessary." Brennan nodded and stowed it safely away. Booth took an MP-5 submachine gun for himself and slung it over his shoulder. "Are you warm Bones, because I assume it's going to be pretty cold outside."

"It is winter Booth."

"Funny Temperance." Upon hearing him use her face name, she realized this wasn't a joking matter and let him take the lead in his area of expertise. "Stay behind me at all times, and we do not separate." Booth turned to Alex. "Please alert the authorities." And with that they stepped outside into the white nothing.

The second they stepped outside they were hit by the cold wind that cut through their clothing as if they were wearing nothing. Booth involuntarily shivered.

"Booth if you're cold why don't you just head back inside?"

Booth turned to glare at her before realizing that she couldn't see his face. "You know Bones, if you could see me now, I'm giving you a dirty look." She laughed, but quickly stopped and apologized.

The two traversed the cold and snowy terrain for a good hour before coming upon signs of life. The snow was just started to get deep enough to affect their stride and it greatly slowed them down.

"Booth, look." Booth stopped and followed Brennan's line of sight. She found a pair of tracks, one belonging to a person walking normally and the other to someone being dragged through the snow. They were relatively new, but beginning to fade quickly.

"It's getting dark and fast. We'll follow these tracks from afar." Brennan nodded and decided that in this situation it is best to just listen to him. They continued heading up, trudging through the quickly increasing snow. The wind was howling creating white out conditions to the point where neither of the two could see two feet in front.

"Bones, grab my hand," suggested Booth. "Just so we don't lose each other." Brennan waved her hand around blindly until finally making contact with the larger and warmer hand of Booth. "Bones, you're shivering!"

"Don't worry Booth," said Brennan with a small laugh. "I'm not hypothermic yet." Booth turned to look at her, but still continued on.

They finally stopped when they saw something that made their blood freeze. "Bones is that...?" She knelt down and nearly stuck her face to the ground.

"Yeah Booth, that's blood." They looked in each other's direction and sprinted forward now completely worried about their friend. They made a mad dash up the terrain moving faster as the drops of blood got bigger and closer. Then Booth threw an arm out across Brennan's path stopping her and then pulled her to the ground and pointed forward.

In a small clearing ahead Booth could see a man rolling on the ground in pain. "Bones, I going to check it out. As your favor to me, please, please don't move." He chambered a round into the MP-5 slung on his shoulder and headed closer. Brennan watched from her position behind a tree as Booth slowly made his way through the trees. Joel still hadn't made his location known and that's the thing that worried Brennan the most.

Then she saw him as he moved around quickly out of Booth's peripheral vision. He was wearing white so that he blended in superbly. She tried to warn him, but just as she shouted there was the sound of three gunshots as they were fired from Joel's pistol. Booth crumpled to the ground, facedown.

Brennan's heart broke in half, worse it was crushed. She had to use every last nerve to not get up and run to his side. Joel moved triumphantly over to Mike who was clutching his chest. His breathing looked irregular. 'Think Brennan, you have to do something.' She closed her eyes to try to think of something and that's when she realized she was crying.

But the sound of heavy labored breathing stopped her. It was coming from her earpiece; Booth was alive! 'Of course,' she said to herself. 'He was wearing a bulletproof vest.' Surely his ribs had to be broken, probably worse. With a sense of rejuvenation she got an idea. She was going to have to do something and soon. She drew the gun that Booth had given her and moved surreptitiously closer to the man. Fortunately he turned his back to Brennan; he was yelling at Mike, but his words were lost to the winds. Brennan took this chance to attack. Springing like a tiger trying to pounce on his prey, she hit him with a well-aimed blow to his hips effectively throwing him off his balance and sent him to the snow.

"What the.." he growled as he threw Brennan off of him and he stood up. Brennan kicked him behind the knee sending him down again. She straddled him and aimed the gun to his forehead. She took a breath as she thought the fight was finished, but Joel rolled up and threw Brennan off. She was knocked to the ground, the gun kicked from her hand, and Joel had gotten up. She quickly retrieved the gun just as he turned back. He was now standing over her with an extremely powerful rifle pointed at her. He reached down and ripped off the mask and hat, exposing her face to the bitter cold.

"You," he snarled in an angry tone. "A woman bringing me down?"

"Serves you right," she said.

"Shut up!" he lobbed back. "Don't you talk to me. You and Mr. FBI are ruining everything. So just shut up!" The barrel of the rifle was again aimed for her face.

Her good hand, for she expected the other one to be broken from the force of the kick, was wrapped around the gun she had retrieved.

"Go to hell," she shouted back and pulled the gun, firing three quick shots in succession. They were direct hits to the chest, right over the heart. Joel staggered back, but then started laughing maniacally.

"You silly woman! You didn't think that I wouldn't take precautions incase something happened?!" He pulled apart his jacket to reveal a bulletproof vest underneath; identical to the one Booth was wearing underneath his jacket, as was she. He bent down to her level, his face to hers, and he grabbed her hair and jerked her forward. "Now I'm gonna have to hurt your pretty little face." He raised his hand and it came down hard on her face. The fact that it was extremely cold outside didn't help. He grabbed the gun from her hand and chucked it deep into the woods.

"Goodbye Dr. Brennan, you were too smart for your own good." He raised his rifle in level with his face. Brennan closed her eyes; she wanted so hard to keep them open, to watch her killer, to show that she wasn't afraid. But she was only human and fear made her close her eyes. And then the shots came...

But the sound wasn't from a high-powered rifle. Instead from something loud, but not as powerful sounding. Tentatively she opened one eye and found Joel lying on the ground, blood pouring from gunshots to the head. Quickly she seized the rifle and threw it aside, away from the hands of the maniac. Then she turned to look at her savior.

Booth was still breathing heavily, on his knees clutching his chest. Brennan quickly ran over to him.

"Bo- Bones, I've got cra-cracked r-r-r-rib, I'll be fine. G-g-g-go check on M-mmm-Mike." Brennan listened to Booth as he tried to raise someone on the radio, while she looked over to Mike.

He, unfortunately, was not wearing any protection, nor a heavy coat. His face was bloody due to a large cut on his face and he had two gunshot wounds to the chest. One seemed to graze while the other was in the upper abdomen. She swore under her breath. He definitely would have internal bleeding, she hoped that the bullet at least missed his stomach and give him a better chance at survival. With very unsteady hands she reached into her jacket to pull out some field dressing. She ripped open his light clothing and placed the field dressing securely over the wound. Booth appeared at her side looking grave. His face was contorted in pain.

"Bones, I, I can't raise anyone. This storm is bad." With those words he passed out. Brennan quickly took the satchel from around his neck to get more field dressings. She applied it to Mike's other wounds and dabbed away at the head wound. It was a large gash that would require stitches. Her hands were shaking uncontrollably now and tears were falling from her eyes. She threw a blanket from the bag over him to keep him warm.

His eyes briefly opened and he saw Brennan. "Have I died and gone to heaven? Because I see an angel." He smiled, but his lips were beginning to turn blue and Brennan was beginning to worry.

"Hold on Mike," she laugh/sobbed. "We'll get you out of here." Her hands were shaking so bad now that she could even undo Booth's coat so that she could check on him. Angrily she ripped the gloves off her hands, her left hand was extremely swollen and still shaking. "Come on!" she shouted. Her head was getting really cold now and the tears were starting to freeze on her face. Seeing Booth injured made her want to cry harder; it affected her so much. She knew very well that she cared for him, but she had no clue it was on such a deep level. She managed to undo Booth's jacket, but feared taking off the vest. She heard dogs barking in the distance, at least she thought she did and things started to get fuzzy and...


	10. Relief

**Any mistakes are mine; let me know about them and I'll fix 'em. Thanks for akin' a look!**

**Chapter 10 **

Brennan came to on the back of a moving vehicle. It was dark still and cold as ever. The snow had slowed to flurries and she was on the back of a snow mobile heading towards town. An EMT was next to her, pouring a hot liquid into a cup.

"Where's Booth?" she shouted. An EMT thrust a cup of hot chocolate into her hand.

"He and the other fellow were airlifted to the hospital because their wounds were rather serious. Now drink up." The EMT bluntness was reminiscent of hers, a statement she knew Booth would have made. She felt a pang of hurt, she hoped he was okay. Reluctantly, Brennan did as told and as the hot, rich liquid reached her lips she felt instantly calm. "We're just at the hospital now!" But the EMT's words fell on deaf ears for Brennan had succumbed to fatigue.

The next time Brennan awoke, she was in the busy emergency room of the hospital. Though the curtains were drawn, she could see the shadows of doctor's moving all about and hear the sounds of complaining patients. Then a nurse stepped in to heck Brennan's vitals.

"Good evening dear. You seem to be doing better. You're hand has a few broken bones and fingers and you've got a nice cut on your face, but you'll survive."

"Where are the others?" she asked quickly as she sat up. The doctor's had removed her outer coat but she was still wearing the heavy pants and a plain T-shirt. Her hand was set in a splint and wrapped with a bandage.

"Um I'm not sure though I think I heard one of the doctors say something about the ICU. But you are free to go, if you just let me get some paper...work." Brennan was up and dashing out of the place before the nurse could finish her sentence. She approached the quiet wing of the ICU on the third floor and went for the information station

"Hi my name is Temperance Brennan and I'm looking for a Michael Patterson and Seeley Booth," fired Brennan quickly in a Zach like manner.

The seemingly bored nurse clicked a few keys on the keyboard. "There's a Michael Patterson in emergency surgery, but he should be out soon. There's no Seeley Booth on this floor, he's down in the trauma wing."

"Tempe!" Brennan heard Jennifer call her name. She was sitting in one of the rows of the hard plastic hospital chairs with Andy and James sitting beside her. Her eyes were red and tear tracks were visible on her cheeks. The boys were sleeping and she carefully put them on chairs before heading over to Brennan. Brennan hugged the women, a gesture Booth had done in moments of worry, and she felt that it would be the right thing to do.

"Tempe, please tell me what happened," whispered Jennifer. Brennan painfully recounted what she and Booth figured out and what happened outside. Afterwards both women were crying and Jennifer hugged Tempe again. "Thank you for saving my husband."

"It wasn't me, it was Booth. Had he not shot that guy... he would have... he would've killed me..." The reality of how close to death she was had hit her. Sure she had been in a position where he life was in imminent danger, but she this time it was different. Perhaps it was because she thought Booth or Mike may die. Or it may have been the fact that the man seemed maniacal and had no restraint on anything. She knew that he would have pulled the trigger no matter what and that had Booth not gotten up she would have been dead. Then her thoughts turned to Booth and how he tried to protect her and how he had come through yet again in saving her life. Tears sprang to her eyes as she thought over him and what could have happened. Had he died, she would lose a big part of herself, a big part of her life. He was a part of her life she realized and there was no changing that. It wasn't a partners thing, it was more than a friends thing. Despite having no scientific proof, she felt like she had a deep connection with Booth and the thought of him injured and dead hurt her.

The women pulled apart and Jennifer sat and absent mindedly stroked the curls on Andy's hair. Brennan was heading for the stairs in hopes of locating Booth somewhere when she heard someone shout "Bones!"

She quickly turned around (a bad idea considering her head hurt) and saw Booth standing in the middle of the hallway. He looked pale and stood in a white T-shirt that was bulky and the same pants. Brennan assumed that a few layers of bandage wrap were around his midsection. He tried to smile his best charm smile and Brennan ran over to him and threw her arms around his neck. Partners and lines forgotten she hugged him as hard as she could. Booth held her just as tight, rubbing a hand up and down her back. She never wanted to be that close to losing him again.

Booth nuzzled his face into her hair, inhaling her sweet scent. When they were out in the cold and he though he was dying all he could think about was her and Parker, the two things in his life that meant everything to him. After he saw that guy hit her, his final nerve broke and he knew he had to do something. And now she stood here in his arms and he never felt safer. He pulled her tighter to him, completely ignoring the screaming that his ribs were doing.

"I thought I was going to lose you," she whispered into his ear.

"I'll never leave Temperance. I'll always be around, as long as you want me." Brennan laughed and sniffed at the same time. She pulled back and looked into his face. Relief, anger, and something else were some of the emotions that she saw swirling in those eyes of his.

"I'm sorry you got shot Booth, I tried to warn you but..."

"Don't worry about it Bones, I'll live." He pulled her close and ever so gently kissed her forehead. Such a little gesture made Brennan tingle and blush and she hugged him again to hide her reaction. He looked into her eyes before leaning in. His lips were so close, she could feel his breath and then, their delightful conversation was interrupted by the sound of a man clearing his throat. Booth and Brennan split apart and stared at a doctor that just walking out of the double doors.

"Excuse me, Mrs. Patterson?" said the man in a gruff tone. He looked to be about middle aged and graying. He wore light green scrubs and looked as though he was coming off a long shift. Jennifer stood up again and looked at the doctor with a hopeful expression on her face.

"That's me," she said cautiously. "Is...Is my husband...okay?"

"Yes. We just finished surgery. A bullet was lodged in a part of his liver and he was bleeding internally. Luckily it missed the spine and the other organs. In time he will be fine." Jennifer started sobbing again, this time tears of happiness and Booth's hold around Brennan's shoulders got tighter.

"Can…can I see him?"

"Only one person at a time."

"Don't worry Jen, I'll keep an eye on the kids," said Brennan, a statement that totally surprised Booth. Jennifer thanked Brennan before following the doctor in.

Booth steered Brennan next to the seats where the boys were. James was starting to awake. He sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Upon not seeing his mother or father he started to get worried.

"Tempe! Where's mommy and daddy?" he asked worriedly.

"Your daddy got hurt, but he's okay. Your mommy went to go see him. She'll be back," reassured Brennan. James nodded. "I'm thirsty."

"Um I'm sure there's a cafeteria around here somewhere. Come on we'll go find it." Brennan stood up with James holding onto her pants since her hand was injured. As she walked passed Booth he reached out to touch her good hand. She turned back to look at him, his eyes still full of emotions. "Do you want anything Booth?" 'Great job Tempe,' she thought to herself. 'Do you want anything? Talk about pathetic.'

"No thank you," he whispered.

Brennan and James walked to the first floor where the cafeteria was located. "What would you like to get James?" It was still early morning and the area was relatively empty.

"I can't see." Brennan hoisted him up so that he could see into the refrigerated case. "Can I have soda?"

"Nice try buddy. How about some water or milk?"

"I like vanilla milk." He pointed to a bottle on the top self.

"Now that's better. What about your brother, what does he like?"

"He likes plain chocolate milk." Brennan got milk for the boys and three coffees, one for each Booth, Jennifer, and her. Then together they headed back up to the waiting area. Booth accepted his coffee with a silent thank you and drank it in silence. Andy had awoken and Brennan explained what happened again. After reassuring him that his father was okay, the boys fell asleep next to each other. Brennan finished her coffee and started to play with the cup out of sheer nervousness.

"How are you holding up?" asked Booth lightly.

"I'm good I guess. I mean this whole thing could have turned out worse I suppose."

Booth looked at her, but decided not to push anything. "I spoke with the agents that are processing the scene. Apparently they found some weird letter and medications. This guy was off his rocker. Apparently he felt that Young stole his idea so one night he killed him and brushed everything off. Almost got away with it too if it wasn't for us meddling investigators."

"But Booth it's our job to do this. We are meddling… oh wait that was a reference to Scooby Doo."

"And the porch light goes on," laughed Booth.

The double doors opened again and Jennifer stepped out. "He's in bad shape," she said in a low voice, sadness etched on her face. "The doctor's say he's got a week or two of recovery to do before he can even leave. I don't even know how I will be able to manage the boys, the house, getting them to school…"

"Jennifer," said Booth. He stood up carefully and went over to console the crying woman. "How about this. Bones and I will take care of the boys for the next few days while you handle things. How does that sound?"

She looked at him. "Oh no, I couldn't let you do something like that. You two have lives back in D.C. and I couldn't stop that."

"Nonsense," replied Booth. "I have two years of unused vacation time and sick days. Bones hasn't taken time off in who knows how long so I think it will be a pleasant change."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." Jennifer nodded and handed Booth the keys to the house and car.

"Take the car; I'll catch a cab home. And don't let the boys sucker you into doing anything either."


	11. Kids

******Okay, so not my best chapter a little cliché and possibly OOC, but hey it's only one chapter. Advice, thoughts and comments are appreciated. Thanks for clicking!**

**Chapter 11**

The sun was just coming up as Brennan pulled the car into the Patterson driveway. Though feeling physically as well as mentally exhausted, she was able to get the boys into their beds for a little sleep before the sun rose. She quickly headed down the stairs, hoping that she didn't run into Booth, and locked herself in the bathroom. She looked at her image in the mirror. She saw bags under her eyes and that her face portrayed her fatigue. The left side of her temple bore a large black and blue bruise along with a cut. She ran her fingers over it, just to see if everything that happened was real. Her arm was in a splint and wrapped, immobilizing her left hand completely. The funny thing was that it didn't hurt. Perhaps it was the adrenaline, or something else, but it was like her hand wasn't there.

She removed her clothes and turned on the water in the shower to the hottest she could handle. As the steam clouded the bathroom she wrapped a plastic bag around her bandaged hand before heading in and washing herself thoroughly. Afterward a good twenty minutes she turned off the water and quickly wrapped a towel around her before the cold air could chill her. Next door she heard Booth humming to his own tune and she smiled. Why? She had no clue. She quickly dashed to her room and threw on a t-shirt and a pair of comfortable pants. After brushing her hair she threw it back in a ponytail and made way to the kitchen.

She was hungry; she hadn't eaten since lunch the previous day so she searched the refrigerator for something to eat. She decided on eggs and removed the necessary ingredients from the fridge and cabinets. She prepared enough for her and Booth figuring he was just as hungry as her. Her phone rang as she was watching the yellow goo fall into the pan.

"Hello," she answered tiredly, without looking at the caller id.

"Bren, it's Angela, what the hell is going on over there. There was something on the news and I don't know. Are you okay?"

"Yes Angela." She was in no mood to explain the entire case.

"Sweetie are you okay?"

"No, listen Ange I'll call you back later." Without waiting, she hung up the phone and focused on her eggs.

Booth came down the hallway whistling a jolly tune. He had changed into a pair of sweatpants and a button up shirt that he left open, exposing his wrapped torso. "Bones what are you cooking?" he asked after coming into the dark kitchen. He stood at the entrance and noticed that Brennan was crying. Immediately he was at her side, his hand on her shoulder. "Temperance, are you okay?"

As if being shaken from a dream she wiped at her eyes and started to scramble her eggs. "Um yeah fine." With a suspicious glance, Booth took out plates and poured two glasses of milk. Brennan finished scrambling the eggs and portioned them onto plates. She added pieces of toast to each plate and served them at the table.

They ate in silence, listening only to the sounds of the heater going on and off. Booth finished first and wiped his mouth with a napkin. He then angled his chair so that he could face Brennan. "Bones, I think that we need to talk." She looked away from him and dropped her fork to the plate. "Temperance, please."

She stood up in a way to gain dominance. "Booth, when I saw you get shot I thought that you died and it felt like a part of me died too. The part of me that was happy, that wasn't concerned with death and murder, the part of life that introduced to me. Losing that scares me. Over these past two years you have gotten so close to me. According to Angela you are the only man I'd ever leave the lab for. You know what? It's true. I'd do anything for you and I don't know why." The tears were falling again and this time she didn't try and brush them away.

Booth stood and used his hand to lift up her chin. "Temperance I'd do the same thing for you. I care about you a lot, more than I can show. When I saw that psycho hit you, I lost it. I never want to see you hurt ever again. You've endured more hurt, more pain than any human being should ever have to face and I'm sorry that it happened to you.

"Booth those were things that happened in the past that you couldn't prevent."

"Tempe, the thing is I want to be there for you. Whether it is as friends, partners whatever title you want to give this, I want you to let me in. Please Temperance, let me do that."

She looked up his face, her eyes meeting hers. He saw her eyes full of emotion and he did the only thing he felt was right. He pulled her close and held her tight. "Okay Booth, I will," she whispered in reply. Booth dipped his head and was enveloped with the scent of her shampoo. He rubbed his stubble (he didn't feel like shaving) gently across her hair eliciting a giggle from Brennan. He smiled and she pulled away. "Thank you Booth." She gave him a small peck on the cheek.

The sound of pitter-patter on the stairs pulled the duo apart. In seconds the twins were standing at the doorway, hands clasped behind their backs, each with the most innocent expression on his face. Booth stepped away and took the dirty plates and cups into the kitchen, leaving Brennan to deal with the boys.

"Can I help you?" she asked. Both boys nodded vigorously. "With what?"

"It's time for breakfast," said James.

"Yes and mommy always makes us brownies for breakfast."

"With ice cream on top."

"And rainbow sprinkles."

Brennan looked down at the two boys who were trying so hard not to laugh. "Really. Is that so. Should I call her up and confirm?"

"No," said James quickly as he moved forward. He tried his best sad face and looked up at Brennan. Booth watched the scene with a smile plastered on his face. "Don't you trust me Tempe?"

"Of course not!" she laughed and the boys ran out into the large living room. Tempe brought them to the ground and began tickling them. Children's giggles rang out throughout the house. Booth leaned against the threshold and watched Brennan as she played with the boys. He had never seen her so happy, so carefree ever. She looked younger (is that even possible?) and more beautiful in his eyes then ever. He just simply wondered why this woman would not have kids. Certainly they'd be the happiest and most beautiful children with a mother like that.

"Come on guys, you can have cereal," said Brennan. Booth returned to the kitchen and threw down the towel. "Booth where are you going, I thought you were going to do the dishes!"

"No, I gotta shave it's driving me nuts."

After breakfast everyone remained inside for the rest of the day. Booth challenged the boys in video games, almost always throwing the game and letting he boys win. Brennan on the other hand fell asleep for most of the day getting some well-deserved rest.

Booth was in the middle of boiling pasta for a spaghetti dinner when Brennan finally awoke. She stumbled into the kitchen yawning.

"Hey sleeping beauty, are you okay?" Still groggy from sleep, she nodded in reply.

"Just tired that's all."

"Well then why don't you wash up; dinner will be ready soon."

"Wash up Booth? What am I five?"

He moved away from the stove so that he was standing in front of her. "No Bones, but I saw you drooling a bit and frankly that's just nasty."

"I do not drool!" she replied and smacked him in the arm. He smiled and placed his hands on either shoulder and ushered her from the kitchen. "Wash up now."

Dinner was quiet until dessert time when Jennifer called. She called to say that Mike was okay and was expected to leave by the end of the week. After each boy spoke to his mother for a good ten minutes, good byes were said and the phone was hung up.

"Okay boys, bath time!" said Booth. The boys took off upstairs to avoid the bath and it took Booth and Brennan ten minutes to find them.

"You know, it's easier to find a serial killer than a bunch of little boys," said Booth as they peeked into the third closet.

"I'm beginning to agree." There was a sound of a giggle and Booth held his finger to his lips. They were in Mike and Jennifer's room. Brennan pointed to the bed and Booth nodded. They knelt down, grabbed a side of the ruffle and pulled it up to reveal two giggling boys.

"Aw you found us," said Andy.

"Of course I did," replied Booth. "What kind of former army man do you think I was? Come on munchkins bubby bath time." They followed Booth moaning and groaning about stupid baths.

Booth tended to the young boys in the bath while Brennan laid out their pajamas. One drawer was filled with dinosaur pajamas, the other with various fire trucks and police cars. Booth quietly entered the room, watching as she ran a hand over the children's pajamas. Booth stepped up to behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder. She jumped slightly but realized it was Booth.

"Bones I thought you didn't like children," said Booth in a teasing manner.

"I don't not like children… it's just that…" her voice trailed off. He looked down at her curiously. He wanted to push her, but he knew he couldn't without hurting her.

"It's okay Temperance," he replied soothingly. "I'll go finish giving the boys…"

"No, I need to tell you this. I'm tired of people assuming I'm a child hating, cold hearted.."

He spun her around so that she was facing him. "Temperance Brennan, no one thinks that of you."

She ignored his comment and continued on. "When I was younger I always wanted kids. I had the dolls and the carriages and everything just like any other normal girl. But after my parents left I threw myself into work and study and I never looked back. After realizing what happened with my parents and the job I had I don't want kids to grow up in a world like this, besides I don't have time for a child or even a boyfriend. Hell I suck at picking them out too!" She took a deep breath. "But playing with James and Andy made me realize that it might not be so bad…"

Booth pulled her close to him and held her tight, "You'd make a great mother Bones. Trust me." She sniffed and stepped back.

"Thank you Booth, you do so much for me and I wouldn't know how to say thank you."

He smiled. "Don't worry Bones, you still owe me a favor."

"No I don't, you used that!"

"No, you moved and therefore it is null and void."

"Yeah to save you."

"Seeley!" shouted the boys in unison from the bathroom. "We're getting cold!"

"I'm coming!" He looked at Brennan. "You owe me." And before she could say anything, he was gone.

The next morning Brennan was up first, just before the sun rose. After finally getting deep sleep she felt totally refreshed. She threw on her jacket and boots and stepped outside. The Patterson backyard was a wide-open space filled with snow-covered children's toys. Brennan could see the sky lighten as the sun began its ascent from the horizon. The sun illuminated the cloudless sky and reflecting off the snow, creating a serene atmosphere. She heard the sliding door open and the crunching of snow and Booth was at her side. They stood together watching the sun's rays touch the earth, the few birds fly and a deer in the distance cross the property. In the moment, Brennan's smaller, colder hand slipped into Booth's. Booth was unsurprised by this action and gave her a reassuring squeeze.

"You're a good man Booth," she stated, her breath coming out in a white column. "Don't let you or anyone else say anything to the contrary."


	12. Over

**Okay so this one is finished. thanks to those that have read, and to those that have read and reviewed. Good day to all!**

Chapter 12 

Booth and Brennan remained true to their word and watched over the Paterson household. Jennifer hardly returned home, save for a few minutes each day to change her clothes and grab a thing or two, however as the week wore on and Mike's condition improved, these visits were happier and more enjoyable. On Thursday evening she returned home while Booth was giving the boys a bath and Brennan was cleaning up the remnants of dinner. She bore good news; Mike was coming home on Saturday.

Saturday morning couldn't have come any slower than it did. Brennan was playing cars with the boys in the living room while Booth was cleaning up in kitchen. When the front door opened activity ceased. Jennifer stepped in beaming, followed by an equally happy Mike who was walking very gingerly.

"Boys! Come to daddy!" Immediately the boys were clutching their father's legs. Slightly embarrassed Brennan stood up to head for the kitchen. She grabbed a dishtowel and began drying the dishes.

"You okay Bones, about everything?"

She nodded in reply. "What about your ribs? Do they still hurt?"

"Yes, but I've had worse." He finished the last of the drying and started to dry too. "So I figured we'd take the noon flight back to DC." To her, it was fairly obvious he was making conversation for the sake of conversation. She returned his comment with the perfunctory nod.

There was the sound of feet bounding up the stairs and then Mike made his way into the room.

"Guys I have no clue how to thank you for everything that you have done this week. You've made this whole mess a lot easier. How can I thank you?"

"That won't be necessary," replied Brennan. "Helping you and caring for your children has been a wonderful learning experience. I wouldn't have it any other way. Thank you."

"No problem," smiled Mike in reply. "So they have been behaving?"

"Like little angels," commented Booth absently mindedly rubbing a bruise on his arm from a hockey game that turned rough.

"So what's for lunch?"

The day was spent relaxing inside and cooking a delicious goodbye/welcome home dinner for the evening. A delicious pot roast dinner was eaten and cleaned up and the boys were tired from excitement so Jennifer out them to bed. The adults sat in the living room sipping coffee.

"Hey everyone want to take a dip in the hot tub? It's very relaxing," offered Mike. Booth and Brennan looked at each other and shrugged.

"Sure," replied Brennan immediately. "I'll get changed."

"What? You packed a bathing suit?" questioned Booth incredulously.

"If you've traveled as much as I have you learn to always pack a bathing suit just in case." With a smile she turned on one heel and headed for her room to change.

"That's one special woman you got there Booth. Don't you forget that," warned Mike. "Now come on, get changed."

"I don't have a bathing suit" mumbled Booth.

"So wear your boxers, same thing."

"I don't have any clean pairs left."

"Sweet Jesus boy don't you know how to do the laundry? Follow me and I'll get you a pair." Booth followed behind Mike as he headed for the stairs. They passed Brennan's room en route and Booth couldn't help but notice that the door was ajar. He stopped walking as he saw her discarded bra and panties on the floor and a creamy leg in the relfection of a mirror.. The view seemed straight out of his wildest and cleanest dreams. He felt himself melt away, entranced by his partner. A gentle tug became more forceful and Booth found himself upstairs.

"Dude, man I knew it!" shouted Mike excitedly once he was in his bedroom. "You do have the hots for your partner!"

"What? No!"

"Seeley, please. You were drooling as you watched her leg! I can only imagine if you saw a breast! We'd have to call the coast guard before you floated away!"

Booth stood on the spot knowing full well that there was going to be no talking himself out of this one. "Yeah I suppose I have feelings for my partner."

"Suppose, man you'd be crazy not to like her. Seeley, you've been a brother, a friend, and a subordinate. You've saved my life way to many times to count so listen to me. Go after her. I understand that she is fragile and had problems in her past, but the only way to know is to make something happen. Man do you see her smile when you are around? Her world lights up. You're her sunshine on a cloudy day, her silver lining in the storm, the apple of her eye, the light—"

Booth held up a hand. "I got it Mike." He then sat on the bed and leaned back, covering his eyes and groaning. "Do you really think she likes me?"

"Haven't you been listening to a word I've been saying?" Mike launched a pair of shorts at Booth. "Do it man!" Booth mumbled something in response and shooed Mike from the room. As he changed, his thoughts were racing with thought of Brennan. Could a relationship with them work? Would she be willing to try? Would she allow him to cross the line he drew only a few months ago? He finished changing and headed downstairs. It seemed as though everyone was waiting for his arrival and upon his showing headed outside. The cold air knocked into them like a shot to the solar plexus and they quickly entered the hot water. Prior to entering the water Booth noticed that Brennan was wearing a red bikini that left not much to be desired. To him, he was a goddess.

He mentally cursed Mike for implanting these thoughts about Brennan into his mind but in reality he knew that he was just bringing them to the surface.

The hot water of the hot tub proved to be a great decision as the hot water caressed his aching muscles. Everyone enjoyed a moment of silence as they took a well-deserved moment to relax.

"So you guys are leaving tomorrow?" asked Jennifer, breaking the peaceful silence.

"Yeah we figured that we ought to head back before people think that we've gone west for a better life."

"Well man, you are welcome back whenever you want," said Mike.

"Thanks a lot." The two men reached forward and shook hands. As he settled back again, Jennifer leaned in to her husband's ear and whispered something. He nodded and then stood up.

"Jennifer's not feeling well so I am going to take her upstairs. You two are welcome to stay here." Mike smiled and gave Booth the faintest of all winks before escorting his wife back inside.

Booth looked over to Brennan. "So Bones, are you okay?"

"Yes Booth, I am fine." His face instantly became serious and he leaned forward so that he could look her in the face.

"Are you sure Bones? Because I've seen men stronger than you fall." She opened her mouth to retort, but he raised his hand to silence her. "Bones, I'm not calling you weak. I'm referring to guys that make a living by killing and then experience it over and over again. I'm not trying to preach Bones, but I had a friend that served in the Special Forces. He was close to death, placed in a similar situation as you and he made it out. But nightmares plagued him for months afterwards until the point where he took his own life. Bones, I want to make sure that you are okay. You've been through more sadness and pain than anyone as beautiful and smart as you should go through. You've been hurt in the past, but now Bones, when you hurt, I d too. And I don't want you to hurt anymore. Not as long as I am around." Booth scooted closer to Brennan and the light from the deck reflected off the tears slowly streaming down her face.

"How long do you plan on being around?" she asked quietly.

"As long as you want Bones, as long as you want." He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight, never wanting to let go. After a few minutes he looked down at her. He lifted her chin with two fingers and looked into her eyes. He saw gratitude, fear, and yet something else reminiscent of hope. He leaned in slowly, still giving her a chance to back away. His lips were centimeters from hers and he could feel her warm breath.

"Tempe and Seeley sitting in a tree, K-I-S-I-N-G!" shouted the Paterson twins from their upstairs bedroom. Booth dipped his head and smiled before looking back up at a smiling Brennan.

"Guys you spelling kissing wrong, there are two Ss!" shouted Brennan back.

"Told you!" shouted James. Both of the boys giggled before their father appeared in the window.

"Sorry about that guys," called Mike from the boys' window. "Go to bed you little mites!" He shooed the boys to bed and added, "now you guys can continue whatever it was you were doing. Go ahead, we won't judge." He shut the window and closed the curtains, leaving Booth and Brennan to themselves.

Booth looked over at Brennan nervously, but loosened when he saw her smiling. "Kids really ruin the mood," she said jokingly.

"Yeah that's why you learn to lock the doors," he chuckled. "So, um."

"Yeah…" They both laughed at the fact that they sounded like two teenagers. "Booth, you've been nothing but kind, loving, and caring towards me. Thank you." She leaned forward and gave him a small kiss on the lips. Then she backed away and quickly grabbed her towel to get out. He quickly reached out and grabbed her hand. He pressed a gentle kiss to it, making her smile; something should do more often in his own opinion.

Nothing ever went the way it should have gone when there are kids present. Every adult slept in, but not the kids. No, they were up early and decided to switch off all of the alarm clocks in order to make everyone breakfast. They worked in the kitchen, preparing eggs, cereal and toast. Only when James dropped the bowl of eggs did someone wake up.

Brennan walked into the kitchen, rubbing the sleep from her face. "Guys, what are you doing?" she asked, sleep evident in her voice.

"We were trying to make breakfast for you and Seeley before you leave, but…but… I spilled the eggs and maked a mess." She could hear the tears in her voice and reached down to scoop him up.

"Aw James, it's okay. It was nice that you were trying to make breakfast. There's time to clean up before we leave it's only…oh shit ten o'clock? Why didn't the alarm go off?"

"We turned off the alarms so that you could sleep late and we could have time to make breakfast. What does shit mean?"

"Nothing important sweetie. Listen, I'll clean this mess up and you go wake up Bo…Seeley for me and then go get dressed. Okay?"

"Yes Tempe," they replied in unison. They bounded off and she turned her attention to the eggs scattered across the floor. With a sigh she got on her hands and knees and began mopping them up. She could realize Booth's presence a few minutes and smirked slightly. She knew exactly what he was doing.

"Enjoying the view Booth?" she asked seductively.

"Any view of you is absolutely beautiful Bones," he replied earnestly. She smiled and stood, the mess on the floor suddenly forgotten. He smiled and met her halfway, pulling her into his arms and placing his chin atop her head. After a few moments they let go and Booth's hands rose to cup her cheeks. He leaned in to give her a kiss, when the sound of a hurried shout and feet moving around upstairs caused them to quickly separate.

"You did what? It's ten freaking thirty. Booth! Get up!" shouted Mike as he rushed downstairs. "Oh my god, what a mess! Boys!"

"Mike, calm down," urged Booth. "We can get another flight, unless you want up the hell out of here…"

"No, no! Of course not! Sorry I didn't get much sleep last night," he replied with a wink. Booth laughed while Brennan rolled her eyes. "Well then, you guys enjoy a hot shower, together if you want, just keep it down, don't want to be corrupting my children and then the boys and I will have breakfast ready. Sound good?"

In the airport a few hours later everyone stood together waiting for the boarding call for the flight to DC. Brennan could tell that the children were antsy and James kept looking like he was going to cry. Finally the call for the flight to DC was made and Booth and Brennan turned around to say good-bye. Booth shook Mike's hand and kissed Jennifer on the cheek, as did Brennan. She then kneeled down to the boys.

"Can I tell you a secret?" she asked in an exaggerated whisper. The boys nodded. "If you ask your mommy and daddy nicely, maybe you can come to Washington DC during your winter break from school and then I can show you the museum where I work and other things. Would you like that?" They nodded vigorously in agreement. "Okay then, be good and let me know if you have any problems. Your dad will know where to get in contact with me." Both boys gave her big hugs. Mike looked over at Booth and noticed the look of love and desire on his face as Booth watched Brennan's interaction with the boys.

On the plane, Booth reclined his seat and shut his eyes, grateful that the entire ordeal was finished. He rubbed a hand over his face and sighed.

"I need a vacation," he blurted as he took a sip from the Sprite that the flight attendant had provided. "Somewhere warm and secluded. I am thinking Hawaii…"

"Then what's stopping you?" she asked nonchalantly as she flipped through a magazine.

"Em, well Parker is going to be attending a Catholic school, a very good Catholic school to be with his friends, so I have to pay some and with the house and all the other stuff, I don't have much spare cash."

"Oh." She closed the magazine. "Though I suppose package deals for two are much cheaper…"

Booth nearly choked on his drink.

"Wait, did you just say that you would go on vacation with me?"

"Well yes Booth, everyone needs one eventually. And I would rather have someone to bother while I am there. Last time I went with Angela and she spent the entire time trying to get me into be with someone. I mean not as a date, and we would have separate bedrooms, but you certainly can't go back to work in that condition."

Booth simply smiled. "Bones, I would love to go on vacation with you."


End file.
